Adding Incomprehension
by The Tangerine
Summary: It's common knowledge that Sora sucks at math, so his mom tries to help by getting him a home tutor. Well, too bad she hired Riku Hayashi, the most popular and obnoxious guy in school. – AU. RiSo with a side order of AkuRoku. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Adding Incomprehension**

**Summary: **It's common knowledge that Sora sucks at math, so his mom tries to help by getting him a home tutor. Well, too bad she hired Riku Hayashi, the most popular and obnoxious guy in school. – AU. RiSo with a side order of AkuRoku. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, sadly.

* * *

"So, Sora. I understand that you are having… Trouble with math," the stern voice of the principal reached his ears, and the brunette boy sunk in his chair. His blue eyes looked from the older man to his calm, pale math teacher. The principal cleared his throat audibly. "Well?"

"I…" He started, looking at his hands for a second, his fingers playing nervously with each other. "Well. I think I have been improving… Right?" He asked, uncertain. His serious speech sounded foreign to his ears, his tongue itching with the unwonted formality.

The man sighed and opened a file on top of the table, his pale, blond hair partially shadowing his face. He rummaged there for only a second, before retrieving three sheets of paper, mostly covered with red marks.

"As you can see, Sora, here are your marks," he spread the tests before the boy's eyes. The blue eyes scanned the already known marks, the lowest one being the one in the middle – 23% - and the highest one being the one on the right – 31%. "I believe that you know how much effort you will need to be allowed to go to your next grade."

"Uh…" Sora started. Actually, he didn't know. He hadn't even bothered to make the count. He was pretty sure he would get it wrong, anyway, and he already knew it was a pretty high mark.

"I don't know how you can make such mistakes, Sora. Your homework is always almost right," his teacher said, a sigh escaping her pink lips.

_That's 'cause I copy it from Kairi._ Sora thought bitterly. He lowered his eyes again, not being able to face the disappointment in his teacher's eyes.

"You leave me no choice, Sora, but to contact your parents," the principal started, gathering the tests and putting them once again in the file.

Sora's blue eyes shot up, wide with horror. "No! You can't! They'll kill me!" The principal's eyes narrowed only slightly, and the student swallowed audibly. "I-I mean… There's no need for that, Mr. Ansem. I promise I'll improve."

"Unfortunately, that is not enough, Sora. I will call them before you leave school, and that should leave them enough time to figure out the best solution. I am sure you are a good student, Sora, you just need to focus more."

"B-But…" Sora started, trying to argue. It was an understatement to say that he would be dead if his parents found out. Dead was what his dog was when he peed in the living room. He would have his head cut off and be served as an appetizer for the guests in his parent's anniversary, that's what would happen to him.

Ansem raised his hand, effectively silencing the small boy. "That should be it. You should return to lunch, Sora, otherwise you will not have time to eat."

His shoulders dropped in defeat, and his expression turned into one of total depression. He got up and, when exiting the office, his feet dragged pathetically on the floor. He couldn't believe that his last day alive would be a Monday.

"Sora, there you are! So, how was it?" He looked up slowly at the sound of Kairi's voice, still too caught up in thinking about his last will to actually look happy.

"Man, you look awful. I mean, worse than usual. What happened?" Hayner asked, his chin comfortably resting on Roxas' shoulder. The pale blond roughly shook him off before returning his attention to his book.

"My parents are going to exterminate me! Ansem is going to call them and tell them I'm failing in math unless I turn into a super genius or something!" Sora said dramatically, throwing himself on an empty chair and hitting his face on the table.

"Oh, honey. I hate to tell you this, but I told you," Kairi said sympathetically, patting him on the head. The brunette boy grunted, pressing his face harder against the table.

"Hey, cheer up, Sora. We bought you lunch," Pence said cheerfully, his big, black camera dangling on his neck like a medal.

Sora's eyes instantly peered up, the happy glow slowly coming back to them. He smiled bright when he saw the small mountain of food waiting for him and, without second thoughts, he dug in.

"Told you he'd forget about everything if we bought him food," Hayner said with a grin on his thin lips, casting a side glance at Roxas. "Seems like I know your brother better than you do, Roxy baby."

Roxas only rolled his eyes at that, not even looking up from his book. "You know he will be depressed once again when the food is over."

"Then we'll just buy him more." The dirty-haired blond said with a shrug, and waited two seconds before trying to steal the book from his friend.

"Hey, guys! Look who finally showed up!" Kairi whispered excitedly, pointing her finger at something. No one really looked up, Pence eating a piece of cake while Sora devoured his food like a starving beast, and Roxas and Hayner still on their battle over the book. The only set of eyes that looked up was Olette's, the only female at the table except from Kairi.

"Oh!" The brunette girl covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes shining with excitement. "I thought he wouldn't show up! I mean, he usually never comes on Mondays…" She stated, her voice barely containing her happiness.

"I know, right?" Kairi said, as excited as her friend. They started then a whispering battle, one speaking faster than the other, along with hundreds of other whispers.

"I think this is where we should run." Hayner said, finally giving up on the book, eyeing the two girls with apprehension.

"Nah, they'll go back to normal after a while. Just don't make any sudden movements." Roxas said all too loud, closing his book and setting it on the table.

"Shh!" Kairi and Olette said at the same time, putting their index finger in front of their mouths for effect, and then went back to their whispered conversation.

"I swear I don't know why we are friends with them." Hayner said in a low tone, too afraid to speak up.

"Wach aw chei chalkin' about?" Sora asked, his mouth half full and half chewed food flying over the table.

"Ew, seriously? Gross." Hayner said, backing away from Sora.

"Well, what else could they be talking about?" Roxas said disinterested, indicating a direction with his face. His brother's blue eyes followed that direction, landing on a tall, elegant figure in the center of the cafeteria, seating at the best table available.

It was hard to describe Riku Hayashi, but it was also fairly easy. He had the most beautiful silver hair that ever existed, and even Sora could list at least ten girls that would kill for that hair, and his eyes were of an aquamarine complexion, a rare color for a Japanese person. His pale skin was weird considering the tropical place they lived in, but it suited him inexplicably. His body was muscular without overdoing it, and he could wear nothing but a leopard thong and still look gorgeous. It was easy to understand all those whispers, and why everyone would kill to be in his circle of friends.

Unfortunately for Sora and his friends, they were far away from it.

"Riku sure is cool, though." He said, after swallowing his food.

"You're kidding, right?" Hayner asked, completely perplexed.

"I mean. He is really pretty, and he seems really nice." Sora added timidly, averting his eyes from the beauty in the center of the room.

"He is, isn't he?" Kairi asked, her voice an octave higher than normal, clapping her hands once and keeping them together. "It's like… He is this hot model! Maybe I should get an autograph now before he gets to famous for us to get close to him!"

"Oh God, no. Please don't embarrass us more than you already have." Hayner muttered, not really trying to hide his disgust, just trying to stay low on Olette's radar. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't make it.

"Hayner! Be nice!" The brunette girl warned, a flash momentarily blinding them.

"Sorry. Just thought it would be nice to save a picture of this as one of our high school memories." Pence said, scratching the back of his head with one of his hands.

Olette huffed, trying then to steal the camera from his friend, saying that she must look horrible in the photo. Sora laughed shortly before shooting Riku a quick glance, getting his last sight for the day. It wasn't like he was obsessed with the boy or anything. He didn't even like him. It was just... This harmless jealousy. How Sora wished he was more like Riku, with his perfect grades and perfect life.

* * *

When classes were over, Sora wished he could suddenly become a marksman's target, or be hit by a meteor. Anything to stop him from going home. He even tried to beg Kairi and Olette to take him to the mall, but they said it was a girls' afternoon and no boy would interrupt it.

"Can I go with you guys?" Sora asked, pleading eyes staring at equal ones, then chocolate ones, then brown ones.

"Sora, the longer you take to get home, the worse things will get," Roxas warned, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"There's no way things can get any worse!" The brunette said, pulling desperately at his brown spikes.

"Don't say that, Sora. Maybe your mom isn't as mad as you think," Pence offered, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Right. I'm just glad I'm not you, Sora," Hayner laughed, waving at Sora before turning on his heels. "Let's go, guys, the movie will start before we get there!"

"Good luck, Sora! Call us if anything happens!" Pence smiled one last time and ran off, joining his two blond friends.

Sora bit his lips and said nothing, waving good-bye to them and going not too willingly to his death sentence.

He entered his house as quickly as possible, tip-toeing to the stairs with the ability one only got when they were in extreme trouble. Unfortunately for him, his mother's abilities to sense him were greater than his abilities to remain unseen.

"Young man, stop right there," her soft yet severe voice called. Sora stopped as if frozen from head to toe, turning back slowly. His eyes rested on his mother, arms crossed over her small chest, apron on and baby blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

His mother was, in simple words, small and delicate. She had the incredible ability of being smaller than her two sons, her straight brown hair resting delicately on her shoulders and giving her sort of a toy appearance. But Sora knew better. Being raised with four older brothers, his mother could be worse than the devil when she wanted. And now was one of those moments.

"H-Hi mom," the son said weakly, swallowing audibly.

"Don't 'hi mom' me," she warned and, unfolding her arms, pointed to the couch, "sit."

Obediently, Sora sat without saying a word, his bag still hanging on his left shoulder, but not heavier than the panic that was consuming him. His life was over, that was certain.

"I got an interesting call from the principal of your school today, Soras" his mother began, standing in front the couch, glaring at him. "He said you are almost failing maths. _Almost. Failing._" She said, each word separated by a breath, just for dramatic effect. "What do you have to say in your defense?"

"Um…" Sora started, looking at his mother's face, her shoulders, her nose, anywhere but her piercing eyes. They made him feel incredibly guilty. "Math is not my strength?" He offered reluctantly.

"Not your strength?" The mother repeated, clearly exasperated. "Sora, you had more than _half a year_ to work on this, and the only excuse you have is that _**math is not your strength**_?"

Sora whimpered, trying to blend with the couch, shrinking more and more as his mother spoke. His eyes were closed, and opened again when she stopped speaking, visibly taking a deep breath and counting to ten. Or maybe twenty. As long as she needed to regain her calm.

"You, young man, are in deep trouble," she started again, her voice low and still dangerous. "No video-games, no TV, no movies, no going out with your friends. You are grounded until you get your grades better, maybe even further than that for not saying anything or asking for help! And God help me, if you fail, I'm sending you to military school!"

Her son remained quiet listening to his death sentence, knowing better than to interrupt his mother or counter her when she was _this_ mad. She was usually a very calm and composed person, except when she got irritated.

"I will also get you a home tutor. The principal has recommended me a few names from your school, I'll contact them and you get you one _by tomorrow_," and with that, she left the room, going back to the kitchen and leaving no room for argument. "And go to your room study!" She yelled a few seconds later, seeing that her son was still on the couch, looking dejected like a lost puppy.

* * *

"So I guess you are screwed?" Hayner asked, picking disinterestedly at his food.

"Hayner! Language!" Olette warned, sending him a dirty look.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" The boy retorted, looking at her for a second before turning his attention back to the brunette boy.

"My life is over," Sora mumbled, looking down.

"No, it's not. You just have to get a really high mark on the final test, and then you'll be happy and ready to move on with your life, right?" Kairi asked, trying to sound positive but no quite reaching there.

"But that's impossible! I tried studying yesterday and it was like I was reading Greek or something! I didn't understand any of it!"

"Well, you have a home tutor going to your house, right? He'll help you!" Pence offered in his usual cheerful tone.

"Or maybe Sora is a lost cause," Hayner said, grinning in his mocking way.

"Hayner!" Olette called his attention again, trying to open a whole in his head with her look.

"Anyway," Roxas cut in, rolling his eyes and putting his book on the table, "you try and focus, Sora. Seriously. Mom is pissed."

"I know! And I don't want to fail!" He said dramatically, covering his face with his hands momentarily. "I don't want to go to a military school! They have dorms there, and I'll be away from home, and get bedtime! Bedtime!"

"You're getting bedtime now, Sora," his brother said, matter-of-factly.

"Ugh! Don't remind me," and the he hit his head on the table, groaning loudly.

"Hey, cheer up, man. Maybe your home tutor will be a hot chick or something!" Hayner said, leaning a little on the table, his grin wider than before.

"Yeah, or maybe she will be a mean bitch that doesn't know how to teach at all." Roxas said, matching grins with Hayner.

"Rox! You're my brother! You're supposed to be helping!" Sora cried out exasperated, his eyes tearful.

"I'm the younger brother. It's my job to ruin your life," the blond brother stated, resting his chin on his hand.

Sora groaned again, clearly defeated, mumbling something that sounded like 'I'm definitely going to military school'.

* * *

Sora stood in front of his front door, staring challengingly to the offensive wood, his bag heavy on his shoulders. He had two options.

Option A, he could just go inside, meet his terrifying new tutor, and get it over with. Certainly it would be a traumatic afternoon, but quiet enough, without bigger incidents.

Or option B, he could go inside, throw himself to his mother's feet and beg her to cancel his tutoring sessions, claiming that he would be good and surely get a good enough grade on his own.

Clearly option A was the best; there was no way that he would get a good mark studying by himself. And maybe, just maybe, his tutor wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he could get a new friend. Yep, option A was definitely going to win.

"Are you going to stare at the door all day long or are you actually going to ring the doorbell?" A smooth voice asked from behind him. Sora squealed in a very manly way and turned fast on his heels, his sight going momentarily black from the sudden movement. And when he could see, his baby blue eyes grew wide with shock.

His mouth opened and closed several times, like a fish outside of the water, but no sound would come out. He had never actually _imagined_ that scene, Riku Hayashi right in front of him. Right in front of his _house_.

One perfect silver eyebrow rose at his odd reaction, and again that smooth voice came, calm and composed.

"Listen, I need to ring the doorbell, so if you don't mind stepping aside." Riku said, a small smile gracing his features, making him look just a little smug, but perfect none the less.

"I… I…" Sora started, his brain suddenly incapable of forming cohesive sentences for his mouth to say, making him look like an idiot. He reached back, his hands groping for the doorknob, finally finding it and turning it rather harshly. Sora pushed the door open and stepped back until he was finally inside his house, his theoretically comfort zone.

"You live here?" Riku asked, seeming quite perplexed.

"I…" Sora repeated, feeling pathetic. It was just a simple yes or no question. It couldn't be possible that he couldn't answer _that_. "Y-Yeah. I live here." He finally said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. The brunette swallowed audibly, trying to get more comfortable.

"Okay." The silverette said slowly, eyebrow still arched, maybe doubting the smaller boy. "I'm here to tutor Sora Kayaki, his mother hired me."

Sora's heart skipped a bit. Oh God, was Riku going to be his home tutor?

"Sora! What are you doing there at the front door?" His mother's voice resounded through his ears, suddenly bringing him back to reality. "Close the door, Sora!" Her voice sounded much closer now, along with her steps, which suddenly stopped. "Oh my. Are you a friend of Sora?"

"I assume you are Sora's mother?" Riku asked, his voice all polite. "We spoke on the phone. I'm Riku Hayashi, I'm here to be Sora's home tutor."

"Oh, that's right! I didn't expect you to arrive this soon. Please, come in!" She said, her voice delicate and soft. Sora, however, didn't move out of the way to let the older boy come through. "Sora, honey, step aside." His mother asked, her voice just a little less calm.

Sora did as he was told in an automatic manner, not really realizing what was going on, still stuck on the fact that _Riku Hayashi was going to be his home tutor_!

"I hope you can help Sora, you see, he needs a lot of help. I do hope you can still remember what you learned, since you are a year older than him…" The women started, talking in a rushed way. "But the principal _did_ give me your contact number, so I'm hoping this will be alright? You boys can study up there in his room, it's a lot calmer there. I'll go up in a while to bring you guys some snacks." She finished then, looking at Sora who was still in automatic pilot. "Sora, honey, go study in your room." His mother said, voice rougher than before.

The brunette boy blinked once before finally going back to his senses. "Right! Study! Um…" He looked at his Riku, their eyes meeting momentarily, then back to his own feet. "T-This way." He said weakly, balancing his bag on his left shoulder and going to the stairs, climbing it slowly with Riku's silent steps following close behind, not saying a word.

They entered the smaller boy's bedroom, surprisingly neat since his mother made him clean it the day before due to his tutoring sessions. He put his bag on the bed, then slowly turned to look at Riku standing in the doorway.

"You can… Um… Put your bag in the bed. I'll go get you a chair." He said, not waiting for an answer to pass the older boy and go to his brother's bedroom, getting his chair and pushing it all the way to his bedroom, finding Riku still standing but with bag on the bed. "You can sit here." Sora mentioned to the chair and went over to his bag, picking up his notebook and pencil case, noticing that Riku was silently doing the same, his face expressionless.

They sat on the chairs in front of the desk and, suddenly, Riku put Sora's tests on the wooden surface.

"Ansem gave me a copy of your tests so that I could see what you have trouble with." The silverette suddenly started, not quite looking Sora in the eyes. "You suck at math, you know that?"

"I…" Sora didn't know what to say. Okay, sure, he was bad at math, but he didn't need someone telling him that, being it Riku or not!

"You can't even get _multiplication_ right. The only questions you got right were out of luck. I'm surprised you even got your _name_ right." Riku continued, clearly ignoring the younger boy, still not looking him in the eyes.

"H-Hey!" Sora protested, blushing in embarrassment and anger. "You don't have to be rude!"

"Now you listen to me." Riku said suddenly, pointing his index finger at Sora's chest but far away from touching it. "The only reason why I'm doing this is because my parents _and_ Ansem asked me to. I'm not doing this for _you_." He said with some disgust before continuing. "I have a reputation to keep, so I'll tell you only once: you better get a good mark on the final test or I'll _castrate_ you with my own hands. Is that clear?" He said in a threatening way, with his tone low and beautiful eyes narrowed.

Sora didn't answer, of course. He was too shocked for that. Where was that cool guy he saw at lunch, who smiled to everyone and chatted and looked so kind? The one who had the best reputation at school and people would die for to get close to him? Did Riku have an evil twin brother?

"Is. That. Clear?" Riku asked again after what was like five seconds of non-response.

The younger boy swallowed and gave a shake nod, too afraid and shocked to talk.

"Good." And then Riku leaned back on the chair, just the exact moment his mother came through the door, snacks and glasses in one hand and cranberry juice in the other.

"Here it is boys. If you need anything, Riku, just ask, okay?"

"Sure, Mrs. Kayaki. Thank you for having me here." He replied in a gentle voice, getting up and helping Sora's mom put the things on the desk, looking completely different from before, leaving Sora dizzy and confused. Maybe Riku was bipolar?

When his mother left, Riku stared at him again with those cold eyes, making a shiver run down his spine.

Sora was beginning to think that option B was better.

* * *

_So here it is. My first RikuSora. No beta, probably lots of mistakes. I hope you guys like it._

_The title is from Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector's story, Forgiving God. It's a quote that goes like this:_

_"Because I made from love a wrong mathematic calculation: I thought that, by adding the comprehension, I loved. I didn't know that, by adding the incomprehension is that you truly love. Because I, only by having affection, thought that it was easy to love."_

_Read and please review. Critics or just a "it's good!" would be totally awesome._

_Thanks!_

_Beijos, Clem._


	2. Chapter 2

**Adding Incomprehension**

**Summary: **It's common knowledge that Sora sucks at math, so his mom tries to help by getting him a home tutor. Well, too bad she hired Riku Hayashi, the most popular and obnoxious guy in school. – AU. RiSo with a side order of AkuRoku. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, sadly.

* * *

Sora hit his head on the table, groaning loudly. Hayner immediately dropped Pence's camera on the pale surface.

"I swear, Sora, if you do that once again, I'm going to cut your head off!" The blond one warned, obviously pissed off. "What's wrong with him, anyway?" He then asked, looking at Roxas with an arched eyebrow.

"Riku is his home tutor," the brother stated emotionlessly, eyes on his book.

"I know that," Hayner said, rolling his eyes. "What's the problem with this? Sora is the one who said Riku was cool. He should be delighted."

"Yeah, well, apparently Riku isn't as cool as he looks like," the other blond said, looking at his brother for a split second.

"He is a beast!" The brunette boy suddenly shot up, eyes wide. "I thought he was going to kill me!"

"Hush, Sora, you're exaggerating!" Kairi waved her hand, as if trying to make a point. "I bet he is really sweet and cool and dreamy…"

"Kairi, get to the point," Hayner said, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, right!" The auburn-haired girl blinked once, as if getting back to reality. "Anyway. I'm sure you're just jealous, Sora. Riku is perfect!"

"No, he is not! You should come to the lessons, Kairi! You'll see! He's a monster!"

"What did he do?" Pence asked, picking up his camera and hanging it again on his neck.

"He threatened me! He is worse than my mom!" The brunette boy cried out, pulling at his brown spikes.

"Well, Sora, why don't you try talking to him about it? Maybe he was just stressed by something," Olette offered, her calm voice making her idea sound possible.

"Olette, you are the only one here who thinks your crazy ideas would help! I bet the truth is Riku hates Sora," The dirty-blond haired boy said, successfully dodging the slap Olette aimed at his arm.

"Why would he hate me? I never did anything!" It was not a problem that _the _Riku Hayashi hated him. The problem was that Sora was never hated by anyone, his cute face and cheerful personality only served to make him be ignored at school and, at the worst situation, be slightly mocked by his childish behavior. No one ever hated Sora. It was against the laws of nature.

"Maybe he doesn't _hate_ you, per say, Sora. Maybe he just… Doesn't quite know you. Yet! This is your perfect chance to get to know him! Go ask him to go home with you today, you two have to study, anyway!" Kairi's voice was overexcited, her eyes shining with happiness.

"You just want Sora to introduce you and Riku after they get friends, Kairi. Don't think you are fooling anybody," Hayner grinned, clearly enjoying his friend's reaction.

"Hayner, you! That's not true!" The girl argued, pale face turning slightly pink. "I'm doing this for Sora!"

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Hayner said, still grinning.

"Don't listen to him, Sora. Now, seriously! Go talk to him, he's right there!" Kairi encouraged her friend once again, indicating the silver-haired boy with her head.

"I-I can't. There's so much people there!" Sora said, lowering his eyes, embarrassed. Riku was a celebrity in school. The chances of finding him by himself were the same chances of Roxas admitting that he was gay. Things like that just didn't happen. "Besides, I have track practice this afternoon. That's the only thing mom allowed me to do!"

"So what? Riku has archery practice! The practices end at the same time and you two are going to the same place afterwards. Why not go together?" The girl insisted, and when Sora didn't reply, she pushed more. "C'mon! There won't be many people here after school. It's the perfect opportunity!"

"Do I have a choice?" Sora asked, half defeated.

"Nope!" She replied, all smiles.

"Fine! But I hope you know I'll haunt you after Riku kills me."

"Sure, Sora. Whatever you want," the auburn-haired girl said, not really paying attention. Nothing could ruin her good mood.

* * *

"So… How are you feeling about all this?" Roxas asked, his voice panting a little.

"What?" Sora asked back, his face red and sweaty, panting hard.

"About Riku being your home tutor," the younger brother continued, pausing a little to take a deep breath, "do you like it?"

"I don't…" the older one started, stopping because of his lack of breath and to think of an answer. "It's just… I had this whole different idea in my head from how he would be if we met. Is it just me?"

"No," the two of them stopped talking for a while, then, speeding up the pace when the coach told them to, adapting their breaths before speaking again, "anyone could have been mistaken. You had no way to know that he was like that."

"Do you think I did something to him?" Sora asked suddenly after a few minutes racing, both boys side by side.

"Not that I know of. You two didn't even know each other before yesterday, right?"

"No. I mean, I bet Riku didn't know I existed before mom called him," he said, looking down with a sad look on his face.

"Why are you so upset?" Roxas asked, eyeing his brother, a drop of sweat running down his neck.

The older brother looked down at his feet, realizing for the first time that he was kind of sad. _Why_ was he upset? It's not like Riku's opinion of him mattered. He was just his home tutor and, as long as he was teaching, it didn't matter what he was thinking, right?

But then again, it _did_ bother Sora. No one had ever hated him before. Not that he had known of. He had always been the cheerful kid who never spoke badly of anyone, and always tried to help. Although he was far away from being popular at school, people didn't bother him or his friends. Overall, it was kind of hard to hold a grudge against him.

"I think… This is just a new situation to me, you know?" Was the answer after a while, both boys finally finishing their five warming up laps. "What do you think I should do, Rox?"

"I don't know, Sora," his brother said, picking up his water bottle and drinking some. "It depends on how you feel about him. Do you think he is worth trying something?"

"I just want to be his friend," Sora replied, a sad expression on his face.

"You're too nice for your own good, Sora," Roxas ruffled his brother's hair, chuckling softly. "Then I say, don't get affected by what he says. Maybe it's just the way he is. I bet he'll soften up to you."

"You think so?" The brunette asked, his face brightening up suddenly. Roxas smiled and was about to answer when the coach called them for the next exercise. Sora promptly ran off, leaving his brother alone.

"I hope so," the blond said to himself, watching his brother with concern.

* * *

"I'm going to Pence's house. Are you going to be ok, Sora?" Roxas asked, his hair wet after the shower they took.

"Yeah. I think so," Sora said, a nervous smile on his lips. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Sor. I'll see you when I get home," and then Sora was gone. Roxas watched the door for a few seconds before sighing audibly. It seemed like he was going to have a few problems, if Riku kept on acting that way.

Sora's footsteps on the hallway were slow and quiet and tired from all the running, his muscles protesting against the movement, that delicious pain one only got when they exercised a lot. He was in a better mood, after all. Running was his escape from reality, what made him feel good no matter what happened. And, even though he wasn't the fastest one there (heck, he was still among the slowest ones after all those years), he didn't mind at all. Running made him feel like everything would be fine.

When he reached the archery team locker room, he took a very deep breath before knocking twice on the door, a smooth voice telling him to come in. He opened the door to the clear walls filled with navy blue lockers. There were a few boys there, Sora's blue eyes lingering on a fiery red hair that definitely defied nature's law before finding Riku, his face free of any expression.

And then Sora suddenly forgot what he planned to do. "I… Um…" His throat felt unusually dry, with all those pair of eyes looking at him. He was getting incredibly nervous, and he knew his face was heating up because his damp hair felt too cool.

"What? Are you lost or something?" The guy with the fiery red hair asked, his voice holding a hint of humor.

"N-No!" Sora finally found his voice, the sound coming out a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat once before speaking again, "I… I'm here to talk to… To Riku."

The silverette's expression narrowed slightly, almost unnoticeable. He said nothing as he calmly walked through the room, passing right through Sora without saying a word. As Sora turned around to face the older boy, he was pretty sure he heard something about 'love confession' right before the door closed with a soft 'click'.

Blue eyes faced aquamarine ones, opposite expressions clashing against each other. Hesitant with blue and now clearly annoyed with aquamarine. Sora said nothing as the seconds passed by, just staring at Riku and Riku staring at him – or more like _glaring_ at him.

"What?" The older boy finally said, his voice composed despite his eyes looking clearly dissatisfied. "You just called me to stare at me? Doing that during lunch wasn't enough?"

Sora gasped, his face surely turning red. It's not like he _stared_. At least not intentionally. It was hard to keep your eyes away from Riku. But then again, everyone stared at him. He didn't think the boy would notice. "I wasn't-!"

"I don't have time to listen to your excuses. What do you want?" Riku demanded again, his voice still so composed. _How does he _do_ it?_ Sora thought to himself, the smooth voice a great contrast with the hateful eyes that were obvious enough for _Sora_ to notice.

"I just… You're coming over to tutor me today, right?" Sora asked in one breath, feeling suddenly quite brave. "I was thinking that maybe we could go home together. Y-You know, since we're heading to the same place…" He finished lamely, under the rough glare Riku was giving him.

Sora then lowered his eyes, unable to keep looking at the aquamarine ones. They were too harsh. He could feel time passing by, and yet no answer came. He raised his eyes again, and there Riku was, still looking at him with the same expression, his face blank but his eyes narrowed.

"S-Say something…" He asked, feeling too conscious.

"What gave you the idea I would go to your house together with you?" The silverette said suddenly, this time his voice carrying some annoyance. "I'll go there when I'm done here. And _you_ better _be_ there by the time I arrive. I'm already wasting enough of my time," and then he went back to the room, Sora being able to see the same redhead giving him a mocking look before the door closed.

He never felt so humiliated in his life.

* * *

Sora was in his room when Riku arrived. His textbooks were spread on the table, pencil in hand, waiting patiently. Riku entered in his room without knocking, sat without saying a word, and opened his own textbook without looking at Sora.

"I taught you how to do this one yesterday," he said suddenly, pointing at one exercise. "Do it."

Sora didn't look at his tutor when he nodded his head, picking up his notebook and starting the exercise. He didn't feel Riku's eyes on him, and didn't feel his presence while his pencil danced around the paper, writing numbers and signals and words that didn't make sense to him. Riku didn't make a sound.

"I'm done," he said, turning his notebook so that Riku could see it. The reply came a second later.

"Wrong. Do it again."

And Sora did. He didn't ask what he did wrong, he didn't think about it. He just found another way to resolve the problem, his memories of the previous lesson a foggy mess of silver and aquamarine and harsh words. And once again he got it wrong.

"I don't know," he finally said after the sixth attempt, another failed attempt. Another waste of time.

"You're hopeless," was his answer, but Riku didn't give him time to think of anything to say because he started explaining the exercise again, his voice calm and low, almost as if it was just saying the words, and not expressing anything.

The rest of the lesson was pretty much like that. Sora didn't get any exercise right when trying by himself, and Riku would explain it to him like he did at first, only when Sora gave up, never when he got fed up. Sometimes Riku would throw harsh words at Sora, sometimes not. Sometimes he would make eye contact with Sora, sometimes not. But he never touched Sora, never got closer, as if he was avoiding the brunette at any cost.

By the time the lesson was over, it was already dark, the moon shining high up in the cloudy sky. Riku was packing up his things when Sora's mom entered the bedroom, knocking once on the door.

"Riku, dear, you already leaving?" She asked, her innocent face looking up at the much taller boy.

"Yes, Mrs. Kayaki. Thank you for your hospitality, and also thank you for the snacks. It was delicious," he relied, gesturing slightly to the empty tray on the bed.

"Hush, honey. It's no problem at all," and then she blushed, Sora finding incredibly creepy the sight of his mother flirting with Riku, who could very well be her _son_. But then again, that was how his mother was, always making embarrassing things. "It's already so late, also. Don't you want to stay for dinner?"

"I'm thankful for your offer, Mrs. Kayaki, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline it. It's pretty late already, I should be going home," Riku was at that again, that overly polite self. The perfect image of perfect man.

"Oh, honey, didn't Sora tell you? I don't take a 'no' for an answer. You are already here, what harm could another thirty minutes do? Come, you two must be hungry. Dinner is already served," she left no room for answer, as she made a circular motion with her hand as if trying to make a point while exiting the bedroom.

Riku made sure Sora's mom was gone before he turned around and shot the younger boy a deathly glare.

"W-What?" The brunette asked, raising his hands in front of his chest as if trying to protect himself. "I didn't make her ask you over for dinner! If it were up to me, you would be gone by now!"

Riku gave him a smug smirk that made Sora's heart skip at least three heartbeats before he spoke, "that's how you thank me for the lessons?"

The silverette left a fuming brunette in the bedroom that only came out a few minutes later, after he had calmed down.

To Sora's surprise, the dinning table was full. His mother was happily humming a song, putting a full load of mashed potatoes on Riku's plate, who was too distracted chatting with Sora's father. Roxas and Hayner looked too awkward, eating almost in a robotic manner and trying their best to keep their eyes away from Riku, the fact that the three of them were sitting at the same table was already weird enough by itself.

When Sora sat at the table, he caught his father saying to Riku, "thank you for tutoring my son. He can be a little too dense, you know?"

Sora's father was the Japanese one. He was the one with the horrible habit of saying bad things about their sons when he was talking to others. His mother, although not being Japanese, acquired that habit, too. Roxas was lucky that he was satisfactorily good at whatever he did, so Sora had to carry the burden of being the son his parents talked about when they needed to say something bad about someone.

Although he was already used to that, Sora couldn't deny that he was feeling a little too self-conscious and mad that _Riku_ was the one listening to all that. He lowered his head, embarrassed, as his father went on and on and Riku chuckled and said something in response, keeping a light conversation.

"Hey, man, how was it today?" Hayner asked in a low tone, Roxas instantly looking up.

"Same as yesterday," Sora whispered in return, his voice miserable. "He hates me, I tell you."

"Yeah, well, maybe. But why does he need to like you, anyway? He is your home tutor. His job is to teach you, not to like you," The dirty blond stated, matter of factly.

"Yeah, well, if he likes Sora his job will be more pleasant," Roxas hissed through his teeth, as if his statement was obvious. "Did you two come home together?" He asked then, looking at his brother.

"No," the older brother said, his voice cracking. "He said he would come when he was done with whatever he was doing. I guess it was just an excuse."

"Hey, Sora," Roxas called, getting his brother's attention. "Don't worry about it. Riku is an asshole, he will finish tutoring you and then you won't have to stand him ever again."

"Boys! It's not polite to whisper, let alone at the table. We have a guest today, so behave," the brothers' mom called their attention, the three of them murmuring a 'yes ma'am' and went back to eat.

At the end of dinner, Riku thanked Sora's parents and left with a promise of coming again the next day to tutor Sora. The boy's mother asked if Riku wanted any company on the way home, but the silverette politely refused, smiling as he left.

"Riku is such a great boy! See, Sora, you should be more like him!"

The brunette didn't answer to his mom's remark. He said good-night to his parents and went to his room, Roxas following closely behind while Hayner was taking a shower.

"You shouldn't listen to mom and dad," the younger brother said, closing the door behind him with a silent 'click'.

"I know," Sora murmured, throwing himself on the bed before burying his face on his pillow.

"Then why are you upset?"

"We already had this conversation today, hadn't we?"

"We did. But you're still upset," Roxas stated, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"It just sucks to be hated by someone you admire, you know?" Sora finally said, sitting on the bed. "Mom is right. I knew it before she said it. I was always watching Riku, he is so cool, you know? I thought, if I could be like him, things would be so much easier. It just feels that everything I believed in is a lie, now that I see that he acts like a jerk whenever he is around me."

"That's Riku's problem, isn't it?" Roxas asked, getting away from the door and sitting by his brother's side. "You don't have to act like Riku. Riku is Riku, and you are you. Riku is a jerk, you saw that. You are a good kid, Sora. You just need a little push to the right direction. Maybe not by Riku, but you'll find your way, eventually," then he ruffled his brother's hair in an affectionate way.

Sora glared at his blond brother, a cute pout on his lips, "I'm the older brother."

And then both of them burst out laughing.

* * *

_I have no words to express how happy I was with all the reviews I got. Thank you so much, guys!_

_Also thanks a lot to everyone who put this story on their favorite and alert lists, also thanks to the silent readers out there. Don't be afraid, make an author even happier: leave a review!_

_This chapter was kinda hard to write, but also really fun. Can anyone guess who the redhead at the locker room is? Not that difficult!_

_I hope you all liked this chapter, although it is a little shorter than the first one. Leave a review and tell me what you think! You've already made it this far anyway, no harm can be done with another five minutes!_

_Beijos, Clementine._


	3. Chapter 3

**Adding Incomprehension**

**Summary: **It's common knowledge that Sora sucks at math, so his mom tries to help by getting him a home tutor. Well, too bad she hired Riku Hayashi, the most popular and obnoxious guy in school. – AU. RiSo with a side order of AkuRoku. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, sadly.

* * *

"I explained it to you yesterday," Riku's voice reached his ears, and Sora flinched, almost dropping the pencil he was holding. "I can't believe you already forgot. You must have mental issues or something."

Sora bit his lips, suddenly feeling his eyes watering up. He was stuck with that problem for the past hour. Riku was only watching, not moving or saying a word, while the brunette boy struggled with his foggy memories, _knowing_ that Riku had explained that problem to him at least twice, but not quite being able to remember anything.

"I don't…" The smaller boy started, eyes still on the paper. "I don't remember."

"Of course you don't," the silverette sighed heavily and suddenly got up, taking his cell phone from his bag and dialing some number, not waiting a second before speaking. "Hey, it's me … Yeah, I'm done here … I know … I'll be there in about half an hour … Got it … Later."

Riku started packing his things then, putting away his books and pens, Sora's blue eyes on him the entire time, curious expression on. The older boy closed his bag, putting it over his right shoulder before finally turning to look at Sora.

"I have to go," he informed, running his fingers through his bangs in an effort to get them off his eyes. "If you can do this exercise by tomorrow and get it right, I'll give you a reward," he smirked as Sora's eyes lit up at the word 'reward'. "And I'll kill you if you ask for help. Trust me, I'll know if you do," Riku's voice was serious as he spoke, his eyes carrying a glint of amusement. Sora slowly nod, face serious although his eyes were still shining. Riku left without another word.

* * *

"Do you think he is okay?"

"I dunno. Try poking him."

"I can poke his _eye_ and he still isn't going to move."

"Try taking a picture. With a bright flash, you know."

"Are you trying to get him blind?"

"No. Just... Dizzy. It would be fun, right?"

"_No_, it wouldn't. Just leave him alone."

"Awww Rox, but that's no fun!"

The blond boy only rolled his eyes, staring at his brother for a few seconds before turning his attention back to his food. Hayner, though, was still completely fascinated with what he was seeing, Sora's brown head buried in his book, face with the same focused expression since lunch started about half an hour ago, pencil still, not having written anything. At all.

"Maybe he had a stroke? That can freeze your face, right?"

"It's a _paralysis_, Hayner, and we would notice if he had a stroke," Roxas said, picking at his food with little to no interest.

"**Dude**!" Hayner suddenly took Roxas' tray away from him, handing it to Pence, who took it without a word. "If you hate this food so much, why on _**Earth**_ do you buy it? People in _**Ethiopia **_are starving to _death_ and here you are almost throwing up on it! Jesus."

Roxas looked at his best friend with a shocked expression, which soon enough was replaced with a smirk. "Well, Hayner, since when exactly did you develop this humanitarianism?"

"Since you started with this shit of buying food and not _eating_ it. Pisses me off," he mumbled crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Are you an anorexic and forgot to tell me?"

"Oh, yes, Hayner, because I don't eat food. _Ever_. See? I'm all flesh and bone."

"Shut up," Hayner retorted, tone high.

"**Argh**!" Sora suddenly dropped his pencil on the table, taking his hands to his brown spikes. "I can't focus with you guys talking like that!"

"And _what_, exactly, are you trying to focus on, Sora?" Hayner's eyebrow arched perfectly, his neck extending to the fullest, trying to peer at the book the brunette was holding. Sora then hide the book under the table in just a second, looking at his friend like he had seen a ghost.

"You can't see it!" He yelled, getting some looks from people that were nearby.

"Why? Is it porn?"

"No!" Sora cried, still hiding his book.

"Sora, you don't _have _to show us, just tell us what you're doing," Kairi finally looked interested, stopping her chat with Olette about the latest gossip or whatever.

The brunette boy glanced hesitantly at her, as if afraid of doing something terribly wrong, before finally answering. "I can't. If I tell you guys, then you'll try to help me!"

"Oh, sorry for trying to be a good friend, Sora," Hayner's voice was full with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean that! It's just that Riku told me not to ask for help!"

"_**What**_?" Olette and Kairi asked at the same time, their eyes wide in surprise. "What happened?" The brunette girl urged him on, leaning over the table.

"N-Nothing," The boy stammered as he shrunk in his seat, clenching his book as if afraid it would be stolen.

"Don't you start with that, Sora. Tell us!" Kairi was also leaning into his direction, cornering him even more.

"Yeah, man, tell us," Hayner copied the girls, getting closer to the brunette boy. Even Roxas and Pence stopped whatever they were doing to join them. Soon Sora started breathing fast, eyes wide in horror, lips dry. He was in deep trouble.

"Fine, fine! I'll tell you. Just… You guys have to promise me you won't help me, even if I beg!" Sora finally said, not being able to win against his friends.

Everyone at the table got quiet, getting back to their places. They didn't say anything for a while until Hayner opened his mouth. "Are you on drugs?"

"_No_! Argh!" The boy huffed in frustration, tugging at his brown spikes before calming down. "The thing is… Riku asked me to solve a problem that he had explained to me. I mean, I'm _sure_ he explained it to me, I remember it, I just don't remember what he said, and it drives me insan-!"

"Sora, focus," Kairi said, snapping her fingers in front of the boy's face, who blinked twice.

"Right. So, I think he got mad that I couldn't remember, and I was always getting it wrong, so he got up and left! But… He also said that, if I could solve this problem by today without asking for help, he would give me a reward!"

"That sounds great, Sora!" Olette said cheerfully, clapping her hands together. "Did he say what he was going to give you?"

"No. But I think it will be something good, you know?" The brunette boy smiled excitedly, thinking about what he was going to get.

"Maybe he will start being nice to you, since you complain too much," Kairi offered dreamily, her eyes not really focusing on anything.

"Yeah, or maybe he will give you a candy, for all we care."

"Hayner!" Olette called his attention, hitting him on the arm.

"Ouch!"

"_Anyway_," Roxas cut in, rolling his eyes, "what if you don't solve the problem in time?"

"Roxas!" This time it was Kairi who cried out. "Try being a little more optimistic!"

"I'm just thinking of all the possibilities," he explained, his blue orbs on his auburn-haired friend before going back to his brother. "Well?"

Sora thought for a few seconds before answered, voice visibly less excited then before. "Then I guess I don't get my reward, right?"

"Just that? He didn't mention anything else?" The blond brother pried more, crossing his arms over the table.

"No. Not that I heard," The brunette brother replied, slightly tilting his head to the side. "Why? Do you think he will do something if I can't do it right?"

"Well. He _did_ say he was going to give you a reward if you got it right, and you said he is a terrible person. There's nothing here stopping him of doing something in case you can't get the problem right."

"You mean… Like he could give me a punishment?" Sora asked, finally catching up with Roxas.

"It _is _a possibility. But it will also be a good thing. It's not like you need him anyway," Roxas said with a shrug, taking a sip of his juice.

"Hush, Roxas, you're scaring Sora!" Kairi interrupted, gesturing with her hand as if trying to get Roxas to shut up. "I'm sure you can do it, Sora. And I can help you, if you want. It's not like Riku is going to know it, if you don't tell him."

Sora shook his head twice before replying. "I don't wanna risk it, Kairi. I want my reward," then he smiled, going back to his book.

"Good luck," Olette and Pence said lastly, before everyone decided to leave Sora alone so that he could move on with the problem.

Later, during a very, _**very**_ boring World History class, a very, _**very**_ excited brunette boy got up from his seat and yelled a "I did it!" before getting laughed at and kicked out of the class, in that order.

* * *

Sora was bouncing on his chair when Riku got to his house. For the first time since his tutoring sessions started, he was actually looking forward to them. He smiled when Riku entered his bedroom, and the silverette shot him a weird look, as if silently asking if he was mentally challenged. Sora, being the little ball of energy he was at the moment, didn't register the look.

"Riku! I got it! I got the problem, it's right! I know it is!" The brunette started rambling, going on and on at light speed, bouncing even higher.

Riku raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "Really?" He asked, moving closer to the bed and dropping his bag there. "Well, I'll look before I go, now let's begin," he sat on the chair, voice free of each and every emotion.

"What? Why aren't you looking at it now?" Sora asked, looking like a lost puppet.

"Because if I look at it now, being like you are, you won't be able to focus on the rest of the lesson, and _then_ I'll be wasting my time here, won't I?" Riku asked, voice slightly rude. Sora bit his lips, taken aback for the first time that day. Maybe he was wrong. Getting the problem right didn't mean that things would get any better.

Riku taught Sora something new that lesson, even though he didn't know if Sora had fully understood the previous topic. Maybe he didn't want to waste his time, but Sora liked to think that Riku trusted him even the tiny bit, and thought that his student _had_ understood the previous lesson.

But Sora couldn't quite _focus _on the current lesson, his mind kept getting distracted with questions like, _What is the reward?_, _Will I like it?_ and, more importantly, _Did I get it right?_ He felt like he was going crazy! And Riku, Riku was acting like it was nothing important at all. Actually, Sora never really _saw_ any emotion from him. Except from being angry and rude, Riku was basically an emotionless person, very different from the caring-free, smiling boy he saw at school. Vaguely, Sora wondered which one was the real Riku, and what was troubling him, making him act so different.

After three long, torturous hours, the lesson was finally over. Sora nearly squealed in happiness. Riku, on the other hand, calmly put his books and notes away and asked for Sora to hand him the problem. Sora did as he was asked, more than gratefully, and watched as those aquamarine eyes quickly scanned the paper, not showing any emotion, only serving to increase Sora's nervousness.

Finally, Riku put the paper away.

"Well?" Sora asked, his voice not being able to hide his anxiousness. Riku looked blankly at him for a couple of seconds before finally answering.

"It's right."

"Really?" Sora's voice was an octave higher. He threw his arms in the air, celebrating happily, until he seemed to remember something. "Oh! You said you'd give me a reward, right?" His voice was still too high when he asked, the smile occupying most of his face.

"I did," Riku said, running a hand through his bangs, moving them away from his eyes.

"What is it? What, what, what?" The brunette boy extended his hands in front of his chest, ready to receive whatever his reward was. Riku apparently found that reaction quite amusing, since a smug smirk showed on his pale features.

"Close your eyes," Riku ordered, and got a confused expression from Sora. "Just do it," he ordered again and, this time, the blue orbs in front of him disappeared behind eyelids.

Sora waited in silent, his deep breath and Riku's calm one being the only sound he heard for a while before he finally heard Riku getting up, his chair making a weird sound as he did so. A second later, Sora felt a something smooth brush against his hands, something he identified as being Riku's shirt. His eyebrows frowned in confusion as he felt a warm breath hit against his skin and, only after a few seconds, he felt something against his lips. Something… Soft, and warm.

Sora didn't really know _what_ was going on, until something wet brushed against his lips. Startled, his eyes shot open, and he saw pale skin. Riku was right in front of him, eyes closed, nose poking his skin, and lips on his. Gasping in surprised, that only gave permission for Riku to deepen the kiss. His tongue invaded Sora's mouth, not wasting any time before exploring, his tongue brushing against the row of teeth, the roof of the mouth, until finally focusing on Sora's tongue that was very still, as if afraid to move. Riku played, pressing harder against the other mouth, inviting the other muscle.

Obviously, Sora still didn't move. His eyes were still wide as ever, lungs slowly starting to protest against the lack of oxygen that stopped coming when Sora forgot how to breathe. Riku didn't seem to care about the lack of response, he kept on kissing Sora, slowly and provocative, before Sora's lack of oxygen finally became a problem and he was forced to roughly push the other boy away, a trail of saliva stuck between them before it broke off. Sora was panting as Riku dried the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What… What… What…" The brunette boy repeated dumbly, trying to form a coherent sentence, his face turning different shades of red until it reached a deep burgundy. "What was that?"

"Your reward," the silverette smirked for a fraction of second before getting up and picking up his bag, throwing it over his shoulder. "Enjoy it," Riku didn't offer an explanation as he exited the room, leaving behind a very dumbfounded Sora.

* * *

When Roxas got home later that day, he knew something was wrong. Sora wasn't in the kitchen, begging their mother to let him at least what TV, cause his favorite movie was up that night, or asking if he could go to the park with Roxas and the others on the weekend, because hey, at least it was healthy! The house was considerably silent, his mother on the kitchen making dinner and his father sitting on the couch, watching the news.

The blond boy said hi to his parents and fled up the stairs, going straight to his brother's bedroom. He easily found the brunette, sitting on his chair, window open, soft breeze running through his hair.

"Sora?" He called, getting no response as he put his bag on the bed and leaned beside his brother, searching for his eyes. "Hey, Sor, are you listening?"

Sora blinked a few times, then, focused on the younger brother for two seconds before looking at the window again, the dark sky completely blank, nothing there to really hold the attention of a hyperactive boy such as Sora.

"Hey. What happened?" Roxas tried again, sitting on the bed, and that time he just waited. Asking more would lead him nowhere.

The older brother took a minute to answer, maybe thinking, maybe just trying to form the best possible answer. When he spoke, his voice was husky. "I got the problem right."

"Really? That's a good thing, isn't it?" The blond raised his eyebrow, not clearly understanding what was wrong with his brother. Maybe he was not feeling well?

"I guess it is," the brunette had a weak smile on his face as he spoke. "I thought that, too, you know."

Roxas waited a moment, seeing if Sora was going to say something else, but he kept quiet, that thoughtful and slightly pained expression on his face. What could possibly have happened? Roxas searched in his brain for a second. He knew Sora well, if he thought about it carefully, he would find out what was wrong. And then… Realization hit him like a rock.

"What was you reward?" He ask, tone serious, eyebrows frowned.

Sora flinched slightly as if remembering something terrible. Roxas kept on pressing, asking again and again, planning thousands of different ways of torturing Riku for doing whatever he did to his brother, until Sora finally cracked.

"He kissed me," he faintly admitted.

"_**What**_?"

"Don't make me say it again, Rox."

Roxas sighed hard, trying to calm down as he ran a hand through his hair. His blue eyes closed as he thought, before finally opening them again, taking in the state of his brother, shoulders down, face sad and worried and maybe even panicked. Dear God.

"It was your first kiss, wasn't it?" He asked, and Sora nodded once. "Well. What are you feeling?"

"I don't know," the brunette admitted, taking his eyes away from the window and looking at his desk. "… Embarrassed, I guess."

"Just embarrassed?" Sora nodded again. "You're not mad that he got your first kiss?"

Sora, then, thought about that. Was he mad that he had lost his first kiss? He was not _exactly_ a romantic. Sure, he had had a few crushes in his life, but not once did he stop and thought, I'm going to save my first kiss to someone special. So no, it was not a problem that Riku stole his first kiss. But he _was_ mad.

"I'm not mad about that," he finally said, looking at his brother. "But I **am** mad. You know. He k-… He did _that_ at the end of the lesson, and then… Then he left, he didn't say anything about it," Sora's voice started sounding a bit desperate then, his blue eyes watering up. "What am I supposed to think about it? Do you think he likes me, Rox? Or did he just do that because he thought it would be fun?"

"I don't know, Sora," Roxas would give his life to answer the first option, but he wasn't sure. Actually, he would bet that Riku was just teasing Sora and having his share of fun, so it would be bad if he led Sora on and in the end Riku crushed all that hope. "I don't know," he said again, biting his lower lip. "Did you hate it?"

"It's not like I hated it," Sora's voice was low as he answered, and Roxas had to really pay attention to understand everything that his brother was saying. "It wasn't gross like I thought it would be, like, when you see on TV, you know? It was…" He liked his lips, then, as if remembering the moment. "It was nice."

Roxas was taken aback for a second. Sora was too nice for his own good, most of the time. Roxas knew his brother would forgive Riku sooner than later, but he didn't know if that was a good thing. He wished Sora would get angry, like _really_ angry in situations like this.

"Well. Is he coming tomorrow?"

"I dunno. I think so. I mean, he has to come, right?"

"Yeah," Roxas agreed, getting slightly distracted. "Yeah. Well, Sora, pay attention. And be careful. This might mean something to him as much as it might not. So… Just forget about it unless he says something, ok? It's possible that he might just have been fooling around. You know his reputation," Roxas said as nicely as he could, carefully watching his brother's reaction.

Sora looked confused as he nodded his head. Roxas smiled and gave him a quick hug before leaving the bedroom with the excuse of helping their mother. Sora watched the door shut with a quiet click, and then he went back to his thoughts.

* * *

The next day, Sora felt as nervous as he did on his first day at school, with all that awkwardness of not knowing anybody and not knowing if you were going to be able to make any friends. His morning classes passed slowly, getting even more tedious as lunch approached. By the time Sora reached the cafeteria, he was sweating. He sat down with his lunch tray, Kairi still bugging him – which she was doing since she saw him that morning – asking what was wrong and what had happened. Sora _did_ trust Kairi, and he _did_ like her, but he thought, this wasn't the right moment to tell her. Maybe he would, eventually, but only later.

Roxas and Hayner were helping Pence put his new album together as Olette joined Kairi in her endless questionnaire about why he was acting so weird, but all the while his blue eyes were scanning the big room, looking for a now too familiar flash of silver, that never came.

At the end of classes, Sora had never once seen Riku. He almost skipped track practice when Roxas remembered him that Riku had archery practice and that it wouldn't change anything if Sora reached home now: he would still have to wait for Riku.

So Sora ran, and forgot about all his problems, the wind against his face a comforting gesture, making him feel happy and free.

When the coach finally ended the practice, Sora ran to the lockers room and showered as fast as he could, waving a quick goodbye to his brother as he ran home. By that time, he wasn't even sure anymore if he was anxious to see Riku or if he was just too afraid and wanted to distracted his mind, but he _knew _there was an eagerness in him that he couldn't control.

Sora waited for Riku to arrive. Ten minutes at first, that grew into half an hour, that soon became a whole hour. And the sky soon turned dark, his mother calling him for dinner, his brother looking worriedly at him. And Riku never showed up.

* * *

_Hey, darlings._

_This chapter was a big problem to me. __I knew exactly what I wanted in this, but I wasn't quite sure how to write it._

_College is up again, with winter vacation sadly over (here in my country, vacations are in July, December and January), so expect slower updates. _

_Anyway. Finally some action, huh? So, what do you guys think? Is Riku a bastard that likes to fool around or does he really like Sora? We'll find that out. Eventually!_

_Lastly, I need your help! I guess it's quite obvious that I need a beta, so yeah, anyone would like to volunteer? Just PM me, send an e-mail, review, set something on fire, make smoke signal, run around naked, I dunno! Just do something to let me know xD But please keep in mind that I take a while to send the chapters, and I am a somewhat sensitive person, so please be nice to me!_

_Ahem. As always, thanks for reading this, please ignore any typos (or let me know! I'll be glad to fix it after I drown myself in shame)__ and review if you'd like!_

_Beijos, Clem._


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